Pavement



(No Model.)

V. PAR K S. PAVEMENT.

Patented Jan 7/0/21; 6/ Parks UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

VOLNEY PARKS, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.

PAVEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 512,318, dated January 9, 1894.

Application filed March 16, 1893- Serial No. 466,361. (No specimens.)

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VOLNEY PARKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort \Vayne, in the county of Allen and State of 5 Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pavements; and I do hereby declare the following to he a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in street pavements; and the object of 'the invention is to provide a simple, cheap and du rable pavement.

With these ends in view, my improved pavement consists of a layer of suitable water proof material placed directly on the surface of the road bed, a layer of sand or fine gravel placed above the waterproof material and designed to protect the same, a series of planks arranged above the layer of sand and extending over the entire upper surface thereof, and gravel or other suitable material placed on the planks to form the surface of the road way.

My invention further consists in the peculiar arrangement and construction of parts as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through a pavement constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a section of the roadthe upper layer of gravel being removed.

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in both figures of the drawings, referring to which- A designates the clay bed or foundation for the roadway which is first smoothed and given the desired slope or shape in cross section. To the clay bed of the roadway I first apply a layer B of any suitable waterproof material, preferably, hydraulic cement or thick heavy paper which has been saturated with coal tar and allowed to dry. The waterproof layer B prevents moisture, which may soak or pass through the body of thepavement, from reaching the clay bed A and causing the same to disintegrate and become soft and allow portions of the pavement to sink below the proper level and render the same uneven and unfit for use. By keeping the lower layer B solid and firm the entire pavement is maintained at one and the same level.

To prevent injury to the layer B of waterproof material, I arrange above such material, after the same is thoroughly set and hardened, a layer of fine sand 0, preferably about two inches in depth, which serves as a cushion to support the balance of the pavement and to protect the waterproof layer B. A series of planks D, preferably one inch in thickness, is placed on the cushion layer 0, which is first suitably rammed or closely packed, and said planks preferably extend transversely of the roadway and are placed close together so as to form close joints and make practically a wooden floor above the cushion layer 0.

The planks D are maintained in the relative positions heretofore described and shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings by means of parallel strips or cleats E which extend along the upper surface and at right angles to the length of the planks. The cleats or stripsE are suitably secured to said planks, 0n the planks D, I place a layer, of any desirable and suitable depth, of gravel or finely broken stone, F, which forms the upper surface of the pavement or roadway. The retaining cleats or strips F besides serving to keep the planks D in proper position, also operate to hold the upper layer F of the pavement in place and prevent the same from slipping or movingon the planks.

From the foregoing description, and the drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple, inexpensive and easily laid pavement, and it will also be noticed that it is impossible for any moisture to reach the clay foundation or bed of the street and therefore the pavement herein shown and described will be much more durable than pavements in which the body is formed of wooden blocks as commonly constructed.

In case the planks rot they can be readily removed by first moving the top layer of gravel, and new solid ones substituted.

It is not necessary in all cases to employ the planks as a firm solid pavement can be formed by placing the top layer of broken stone and gravel directly on the cushion layer C.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new,-and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A pavement consisting of a lower layer of water proof material, a cushion of sand placed on said layer of waterproof material,a series of planks supported by the cushion of sand, and a top layer of gravel or finely broken stone, substantially as described.

2. A pavement consisting of a lower layer of waterproof material, a cushion of fine sand arranged above said waterproof layer, a series of planks extending entirely across the upper surface of the sand cushion, cleats or strips connecting the planks, and an upper layer of finely broken stone or gravel, substantially 15 tending across the upper surface of the sand 20 cushion, and a top layer of gravel or finely broken stone, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

VOLNEY PARKS. Witnesses:

NEWTON D. DOUGHMAN, Ross SAMSE. 

